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VR-Feature

In the wake of Oculus' determination to cut the price of the Oculus Rift with controllers to $400, there's been some worry that this move indicates a major new platform update is imminent. Information technology'south non a crazy idea — plenty of companies, from automobile dealerships to CPU and sometimes fifty-fifty GPU manufacturers volition cutting prices to clear inventory and make room for upcoming models. In Oculus' case, notwithstanding, that doesn't seem to exist what's happening.

Now, Facebook executives threw cold water on the thought of an upcoming new product generation from multiple angles. In an interview with CNET, Facebook'south Jason Rubin, caput of content and marketing for Oculus VR as well as beingness the creator of both Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series, stated: "Someone who buys a Rift today has years of enjoyment in forepart of them."

While Nate Mitchell (co-founder of Oculus) and Rubin gave neither Rift sales figures nor a launch date for a future Oculus Rift 2.0, they stated they believed the current unit is more than enough to drive VR into the true mainstream. They likewise talked about having more channels available to players to help them discover people to game with, though that appears to exist something the squad has discussed every bit opposed to starting to implement.

Concluding calendar week, Facebook stated that after the Summer of Rift sale ends, the Rift volition get another price cut, this time permanently, to $499. The new package won't include an Xbox controller, but packs Oculus' Affect controllers instead.

The strongest evidence that Rift won't get an update soon came during a conversation about eye tracking, wireless gear, and other ideas that might help take VR into the mainstream marketplace. Asked about when we might come across cut-border applied science integrated into the existing Rift or specified for Rift two.0, Rubin stated:

Rift does not have eye-tracking. Rift might add some sort of wireless that tin be a peripheral. Eye-tracking is more cardinal, as would be inside-out tracking, because Rift doesn't take a photographic camera organisation inside. And then if Rift is going to be effectually for a while, that tells you something nearly how long we feel it'southward going to take for those things to become integrated and part of a full release.

I desire to exist clear: we are dropping the price to get more people in Rifts because we look the side by side years to be very Rift-focused and Rift-centric.

To respond your question well-nigh all these other technologies: People should not hold their breath and wait, information technology'southward not coming in a infinitesimal.

We should exist able to see whether the Summer of Rift kicked off a buying bonanza as soon as Steam Hardware Survey data is available for July. In the meantime, you still have a few weeks to pick up the Rift for $400, merely it'll still be available for $500 (as opposed to $800 six months agone) if you can't quite salve enough to hit that window.

Information technology'll be very interesting to see if HTC'south Vive follows this pattern. If Oculus plans to keep a $500 cost point with its existing technology, at that place may exist room for a Vive 2 with upgraded visual capabilities and ameliorate controls — provided Vive can deliver them for something less than $800. When Vive was $800 and Oculus was $600 but lacked handheld controllers, a number of reviewers argued for the Vive for that reason solitary. Now that the Rift is $400 ($500 in a few weeks) with touch controllers, while the HTC Vive is still $800, HTC has effectively lost the advantage it had. If it doesn't cut prices or release a dramatically improved system soon, it won't stay in the pole position of VR adoption.

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Oculus Touch controllers.

At present, are these comments proof that there'south no Rift refresh coming? Of grade not. This would scarcely exist the starting time time a company has promised one thing but done another. But on balance, it seems Rubin and Mitchell are beingness honest on this ane. The terminal twelvemonth did a lot of damage to Oculus' reputation, some deserved, some not. Either style, the worst thing Facebook could practice is launch a new headset when people and then recently spent $400 to $800 on a new one.

Getting VR systems into more homes, by lowering the price and barriers to entry, is far more of import than updating the specs and raising the price on hardware that only a fraction of a pct of gamers own. One time VR headsets striking $200, with accompanying GPUs driving them at the same price signal, we'll start to see a lot more motion towards VR. At least, nosotros'll find out if price drops are the right impetus to encourage people to hop over the other barriers to entry and buy into the VR ecosystem.

Now read: The Best VR Headsets and Accessories